Sleepy Time Mike

Does Michael Bagneris even want to be Mayor?

In his first television ad since resigning as a Civil District Court judge and jumping into the mayor’s race last month, Bagneris has begun to introduce himself to voters, hoping to close an obvious gap in name recognition and convince New Orleanians that he can do better than the incumbent.

For now, Bagneris is focused on raising his profile before the Feb. 1 primary. In his first 30-second TV spot, he sketches a quick biography, from growing up in the 9th Ward and attending St. Augustine High School to working for Mayor Dutch Morial and serving on the bench.

“As a judge for 20 years, I mastered the art of listening,” Bagneris said. “I hear frustration across our city. And with your help, I’ll be the voice that drives change for a better, stronger, safer New Orleans.”

Lame.  Also, he's a "master of listening" but proposes to be "the voice" which, by his own admission, is not his forte.  Oh well. 

Whatever the outcome of these dueling narratives, there is always one Plan B available for Bagneris, and one that he hasn’t ruled out: Heading back to Civil District Court.

Because he resigned with less than a year left in his term, there will be no special election to fill his seat. Instead, candidates will sign up to run for the job in the fall, giving Bagneris plenty of time to regroup should he fail to unseat Landrieu.

In an interview this week, Bagneris said, “I haven’t thought beyond this race, and I haven’t thought beyond this race because I’m in it to win it.”

Nobody believes that, right?  Maybe it sounds better than it reads.  This is apparently a vocal campaign, after all. 

The article goes on to mention that the candidates will appear before the Independent Women's Organization and the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee in separate forums this week in order to be vetted for possible endorsements.  I hope, for his sake,  Bagneris is ready to talk.. or listen... or whatever he does by then.  As John Georges might tell you, OPDEC is where you're liable to run into some "dangerous people" who misuse your words by recording them exactly and then sharing that with others.